fashion :: Blog

For more than 30 years, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Slash has left an indelible mark on rock and roll, cutting a singular figure as recognizable as his oft-imitated – never replicated – guitar playing.

Slash's embrace of rocker staples like black leather and tattoos evolved alongside his now iconic top hats, creating an image that's become synonymous with rock and roll.

This year, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members voted to have displayed in the Museum a leather jacket worn by Slash during Guns N' Roses tours in the 1980s and 1990s.

The back of the jacket features images of a skull wearing a top hat, crossbones topped with guitar headstocks, a gun and a rose.

The images mirror a tattoo on Slash's upper left arm, along with the acronym "D.T.U.D." – which reportedly stands for "Drink Till U Drop" – a nod to Slash's notoriously wilder days as GNR's rabble rousing lead guitarist. Guns N' Roses were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Although she was already queen of the clubs, Madonna didn't swim in the mainstream until "Like A Virgin," the 1984 title track from her second album, became her first million-selling single. Produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers in a bouncy, vaguely retro girl-group mode, the song established one of Madonna's most enduring personas: the good bad girl capable of being "touched for the very first time."

Though Madonna was 26, this witty send-up of innocence and experience made the former cult star a teen idol: the song's video featured Madonna flouncing around Venice in bustier, lace, multiple crosses and a wedding dress that inspired her first legions of wannabes. Along with its equally chirpy follow-up, "Material Girl," "Like A Virgin" might not present Madonna at her vocal best. It did, however, mark her early on as an exceptionally shrewd performer who created and manipulated controversy, changed her image to suit the moment, and prospered through a combination of talent and will.

Madonna, a 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is among the many artists from rock and roll history featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Ahmet Ertegun Main Exhibition ...

Last week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, unveiled a brand new exhibit featuring iconic fashions from Beyoncé's blockbuster career. From the white cotton tank-top with stones, J Brand Denim shorts and red Stuart Weitzman patent leather sling-back pumps from the "Crazy In Love" video all the way to the Rubin Singer leather and lace body suit, skirt and jacket from her 2013 Super Bowl performance, Beyoncé's fashions stands among a rock and roll pantheon in the Museum's Legends of Rock section, positioned beside the likes of David Bowie, James Brown, the Supremes, the Who and ZZ Top – artists who've made bold sartorial statements throughout their careers. Those unforgettable style cues – Bowie's Ziggy costumes, James Brown's jumpsuits, the Supremes' matching dresses, the Who's Mod sensibilities, the beards of ZZ Top – are arguably as recognizable as the music each created. At the very least, the fashion and the music is inextricably linked. So, is Beyoncé a fashion icon? New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman doesn't think so.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will open a new fashion exhibition centered around singer, producer and entertainment industry powerhouse Beyoncé. The exhibit will open on Tuesday, July 22, 2014 and be located in the Ahmet Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall in Legends of Rock.

Highlights of the fashion exhibition include:

Rubin Singer leather and lace body suit, skirt, and jacket from the 2013 Super Bowl Performance. The Super Bowl performance was a 12-minute hypnotizing experience seen around the world. The exotic edges and curves of this lace and leather bodysuit spoke for Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé as one.

BEYONCÉ’S stylist Ty Hunter remembers:

“A lot of different designers came to Beyoncé with sketches, but in the end Russian designer Rubin Singer created something magical. Beyoncé wanted funky, edgy, and feminine all in one and that’s what Rubin created.”

Givenchy black beaded and purple feather mermaid gown from the 2012 Met Gala. Beyoncé’s appearance on the red carpet in this lace dipped mermaid gown with a purple ombréd bottom was the talk of the 2012 Met Gala. She was the last to arrive on the red carpet and well worth the wait for fans and photographers ...

The debut of the stamp will be at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference at Butler Park in Austin, Texas, featuring a special all-star unveiling concert. This Jimi Hendrix celebration will include performances by Hall of Fame Inductees Slash and Robby Krieger of the Doors, as well as the MC5’s Wayne Kramer and Paul McCartney’s longtime guitarist Rusty Anderson, Dave and Phil Alvin of the Blasters and others.

In what's shaping up to be a big year for Hendrix fans, the stamp announcement comes alongside new Jimi Hendrix presence at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The Museum recently acquired a handful of new Jimi Hendrix artifacts to add to its already abundant Jimi Hendrix exhibit, including various outfits, shirts and his purple “applejack” style suede cap. One of the outfits ...

One of the first pieces of rock and roll history ever loaned to the Museum came from Yoko Ono: the 1964 Gibson J 160E played by John Lennon and used extensively throughout his career. The unique acoustic guitar was part of a collection Ono presented to the Museum on October 13, 1994 and also included handwritten lyrics, a pair of Lennon's eye glasses, Lennon's guitar from the 1965 Beatles concert at Shea Stadium and more.

The Gibson acoustic guitar, however, remains "one of the most precious artifacts that we have in the Rock ...

Opened in December 1967 on London's Baker Street, the Beatles' Apple Boutique closed less than a year later in July 1968. Paul McCartney initially described the shop as "a beautiful place where beautiful people can buy beautiful things." At the time of the shop's closing, however, his enthusiasm had waned. On display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in the Museum's Beatles exhibit is a mandarin collard green velvet jacket from the Apple Boutique. In this clip, assistant curator Meredith Rutledge-Borger discusses the Apple Boutique and how it and this jacket were indicative of an era. Visit the Beatles exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, to see more from the Fab Four.

Women who rock know how to rock a look. From Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey to Janelle Monáe and Lady Gaga, the ladies who have made the music that moves us have used fashion – clothes, makeup, hairdos, hats, jewels, boots, shoes – to help express themselves. Their art goes beyond song and sound. They create entire worlds of style that connect us to their musical messages, draw us into fantasies that run the gamut from elegant to edgy, push us to understand how the spectacle of self-presentation can communicate ideas and emotions in ways that transcend words or melody. Today, the idea of rock style is a given: We’ve grown accustomed to seeing singers on the cover of Vogue, we buy the clothes and makeup promoted by stars from Madonna (featured in Versace ads) to Rihanna (a spokesmodel for Revlon); we can even dress ourselves head to toe in clothes created by rockers, such as Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. label or Beyoncé’s House of Deréon.

It’s easy to boil rock style, in all its guises, down to two ideas: glamour and rebellion. But, as the Women Who Rock exhibit illustrates, the story is ...

The Rock Hall Blog

This is where we will post insights from Rock Hall staff and guest writers about exhibits, events, concerts and more with an emphasis on lesser known facets of the Rock Hall. Consider this your backstage pass.